Hide And Seek
by gaia-x-goddess
Summary: A man is in Cardiff, snatched by the Rift. Jack insists he has to go back, but Ianto refuses to let him. Then comes a stolen alien artefact, and things get a lot trickier. What's Ianto hiding about his past, and who is this man to him?
1. Chapter 1

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AN: So, this is my new story. Hopefully it's going to be good; I've planned it out and I'm really excited about it xD Updates shouldn't be too far apart. So, basically, enjoy. And please do review :)

_I hurried along the underground station, glancing around nervously. My hand kept patting my pocket, to reassure myself that it was still there. I was keeping it safe for him after all. Suddenly behind me, I saw two men, following me. I got my phone out, scrolled through my contacts until I found the one I was looking for and called it._

_Then I was gone. I vanished, into thin air, dropping my phone. My phone must have carried on ringing, the ID matching the voice of the man who picked it up. Ianto._

The silence had begun to feel vaguely threatening. Sound from the outside never quite managed to reach the Hub and even with the noises emitted from their surroundings, it felt silent. Everyone was sitting there uncomfortably, waiting for something to happen.

"Don'tcha all have work to do or something?" Jack asked, flashing a smile. As if by magic, the tension evaporated. "If not, I've got a few ideas."

Owen grimaced. "No, thank you."

"We could… play scrabble?" Gwen suggested.

"Uh, no." Tosh said. "I hate bloody scrabble."

"Too many words?" Owen asked snidely. "Not enough numbers?"

"If you don't like my number skills, you don't have to use it." Tosh shot back. "Next time you face a weevil I'd like to see you defeat it with words-"

"Magnacorpus." Jack interrupted. Everyone stared at him.

"Pardon?"

"Magnacorpus. Just one of a number of species you can defeat with words. Have to be careful what you say." No one commented so Jack shrugged and carried on. "Once I met this race, they could only be killed by a scream of a certain pitch, reached only in the moment of male orgasm…" he trailed off reflectively. "Brings a whole new meaning to the phrase 'sleeping with the enemy'. Trouble is, they then tend to explode, talk about stains-"

"Right," Owen said, twiddling his pen. "I did not want to know that."

Gwen shrugged and turned to Ianto. "Moving swiftly on," she said, darting a look at Jack who rolled his eyes.

"You people-" he began.

"There is," Ianto pointed out, "a difference between being open minded, which we all are, and-"

"In your time, maybe, in mine-"

"And listening to your boss talking about killing aliens by orgasm," Ianto finished, ignoring Jack.

Gwen smiled. "Tosh, was that your computer?" she asked as something bleeped. Tosh nodded and hurried over to have a look. When she came back she was grinning.

"Hey guys, guess what?"

"What?" Owen asked, pointedly ignoring Ianto and Jack's argument on sleeping with aliens.

"It's snowing!" Tosh exclaimed. Gwen squealed piercingly.

"Ohmigod! We have to go outside! Now!"

"Ah…" said Owen. "Do we have to?"

"We'll wrap up," Jack promised. Owen rolled his eyes but grudgingly agreed.

"Not for me," Ianto said briskly. "I'll have hot drinks ready."

Gwen looked ready to complain, pouting angrily, but Jack dived in, saying "sure, we need someone to stay here anyway."

Owen sighed. "Well, I'll stay, I don't want to come and play in the snow-"

"None of us are going to 'play' anyway," Tosh said. Her computers were flashing furiously, noisily advertising a rift alert.

"Right," Jack said, instantly alert. "Come on, let's go."

Ianto shrugged. "I'll stay here anyway?" Jack frowned, scrutinising him openly. Ianto smiled at him. "Go on." Jack looked as if he were about to argue but a call from Gwen stopped him and he followed the rest of his team outside.

* * *

_The snow is so cold. So, so cold. And the date- I know the date. I'm in Cardiff, not London, and it's the future._

_What's happened to me? I search my new memories, seeing everything that's happened in the few years I've somehow slipped._

_Suddenly, I remember more. I remember what happened to me- only it hasn't happened yet. So how can I remember it?_

_And he- how could he do that-_

_The knowledge slips over me as, in shock, I drift into unconsciousness._Gwen called out to the rest of the team. "There's a man here, looks like he's been dumped by the rift, either that or he's been hit by something."

* * *

Owen came over quickly. "He's suffering from the cold, firstly. Whatever else is wrong, we need to treat that first. Call the hospital, then we'll take him in when he's woken up." Owen's voice trailed off as he examined the man, whilst Gwen spoke to the hospital, authority in her voice.

"We need a private room. Priority Torchwood."

Then Owen and Jack carried the man to the SUV, ready to take him to hospital. Gwen and Tosh followed them, only giving the surrounding area a quick look over. Nobody noticed the artefact that had fallen out of the mans pocket and rolled to rest near a hedge where it rested, blinking soundlessly.

**_Let me know your thoughts?_**


	2. Chapter 2

**I was banned from the laptop. So I've been writing this in english, instead of my coursework, because I love it :) Thank you if you reviewed or alerted :D xx**

Jack wandered round the empty Hub thoughtfully. Without anyone here, the alien technology seemed a lot more threatening. Without Ianto here- Jack frowned briefly. He'd got used to Ianto being around, lately. Maybe a little too much.

The phone rang sharply, startling him out of his thoughts. He patched it through to his earpiece, glad of the distraction.

"Yes?" he asked, presuming it was one of his team.

"Hello?" a girl asked nervously. It took him a while to match the voice to a face, but he had it eventually. Her name was Chrissie or something, she worked at the hospital. She'd been there when they took that man in.

"Chrissie, right?" he asked. There was silence for a while, as she absorbed that he'd remembered her name.

"Yeah," she agreed eventually. "Chrissie Deller, I work at-"

"The hospital, I know," he cut her off. "So… what's the news from down there, Chrissie?"

"That man you brought in," she began. "We can't find out who he is. No records, anywhere." Jack frowned. So he wasn't from around here, time wise. "On the other hand," Chrissie continued, "he's improving."

Jack nodded, before realising there was no-one around to see him. "Sure," he said. "Keep us updated- and we'll see if we can find out who he is. We've got a DNA sample and a description, we'll find him." Wherever, and whenever, he's from.

"But you can't," Chrissie pointed out. "We've searched the entire population, there's nothing more you can do."

Jack grinned. "Just keep on believing that," he said. "We'll find him. See you around, Chrissie Deller."

"Wait," she interrupted quickly. "Who are you? What's Torchwood?"

"If I told you, I'd have to kill you," Jack laughed lightly, although there was a warning note in his voice.

"But-" Chrissie sounded as if she was about to argue, so Jack hung up down with a sigh. Pity, he'd liked her. Swiftly, he dialled Tosh's number again, pacing impatiently up and down, waiting for her to answer.

"Tosh, sorry, I know it's early but I need you. We've got to find this man."

"What-?"

"Chrissie called-"

"Who?"

"From the hospital," Jack shrugged. "He's not from here, as in, now."

"So?"

"So we need to get him back, or else it's going to muck up the timelines. This is important, I know it. He's got to go back."

"How do we know he's not foreign?"

"He had a library card on him."

Tosh yawned and mumbled something before hanging up. Jack tapped his earpiece once and looked out over the massive building. He shivered, and then looked down at himself, surprised.

"Got to sort out that air conditioning," he muttered.

* * *

_All this knowledge, it hurts my head. I have all the information from the last few years in my head and yet the fact I keep coming back to is the one that hurts the most._

_I can remember my death._

_But I was- I was walking along- I had my phone out, I was calling…Ianto, I was calling Ianto._

_And that brings me back to the fact that hurts me more then anything else I've 'remembered'._

_I believed him._

* * *

"Here you go," Ianto said helpfully. Gwen looked up distractedly and thanked him. "Busy?" Ianto asked sarcastically, peering at her magazine.

"Well there's nothing else to do. It's been quiet for days. We haven't had anything."

"Apart from that man," Owen pointed out, taking his cup of coffee off Ianto's tray.

"How's that going, anyway?" Jack asked, appearing out of nowhere. "Tosh," he added, as if that hadn't been obvious.

"It's almost…" Tosh trailed off as her computer bleeped. "It's done."

"Great!" Jack bounded down the stairs and looked at her screen. "Good looking guy, so who is he?"

"James Jarrett." Tosh reported.

There was a clatter as Ianto dropped his tray.

* * *

The dialling tone rang twice before it was picked up.

"Hello?" the man said, bored. He hadn't recognised the number. "Oh, Ianto… how are you? What? No? Are you sure?" There was a pause as he listened to the other end of the phone. "It can't be him." He whispered, before slamming the phone down violently. Ianto didn't try to call back.

"Are you alright, sir?" a female voice with a Scottish accent called through.

"Everything's fine," he called back. "Wrong number." As he spoke, he scrolled through the recent contacts on his phone and casually blocked the previous number. It was only when he reached for his coffee that he realised he was shaking.

**Review? xx**


	3. Chapter 3

**Sorry, I couldn't put this up for some reason. Thank you to everyone who reviewed :)**

"Who was he?" Jack asked Ianto casually. Ianto was staring at his lap, gripping his pen, and avoiding everyone's questions.

"Ianto," Jack pleaded quietly. "It's important."

Finally, Ianto lifted his head, and Jack saw the strange desperation in his eyes. "Fine," he replied. "Get the others in here; I'm only doing this once."

Jack nodded and hurried to comply. Ianto stayed sitting down, waiting for the others. He heard them all come in, creeping silently as if they were at a funeral. Eventually, he heard Jack speak, still in that gentle tone he'd heard him use so many times before. To victims, in shock, who knew something about the aliens they had been attacked by. Of course, it was never for their own good. Torchwood always had something to gain.

"Ianto…"

"He was my friend. James Jarrett," Ianto added, as if it hadn't been obvious. "He worked at Torchwood 1 with me. He wasn't important, at all, he was… so, so junior, just another member of staff. But he was my… friend." There was a pause. Ianto closed his eyes as he continued, "he was murdered. We never found out why." Gwen moved to comfort him swiftly, hugging him as he stared down at the table.

"Was he killed by aliens?" Jack asked.

Ianto shrugged. "There was an alien serial killer around that time. But we never… we never knew."

Everyone else had remained silent. Owen looked uncertain, scrutinising Ianto with not just pity but something indefinable. Like he knew there was something wrong, here, just not what.

"Can I see him?" Ianto asked quietly, looking up at Jack. Tosh, who had been sure he was crying, was surprised to see his eyes were clear and determined.

"Of course you can," Gwen answered. She looked up at the others. "He can, can't he?"

"Sure," Jack answered, finally. "Come on. Let's go."

* * *

"He looks just like he did when he was murdered," Ianto said softly. "Same age."

Jack nodded, gravely. "Ianto, did they find a body?" Ianto was silent, staring down at the sleeping man. "They did, didn't they?" Jack asked, although he already knew the answer.

"Yeah," Ianto agreed. "Yeah, they found a body."

"You know what it means, right?" Jack said, softly. Ianto didn't respond, instead trailing his fingers along the man's hair. He knew. His friend was going to have to go back in time, to die.

Again.

"Do we have- to send him back?" he asked, his eyes finally filling with tears. "If he doesn't go back, do we have to- do we have to-?"

Jack touched his shoulder in sympathy, and that was all the answer Ianto needed. "Leave me," he said. "With him, alone. Please."

Jack looked as if he was about to argue, but then nodded. "Sure." Ianto waited until he had left the room, then became patting the man down, checking his pockets, becoming more and more desperate.

"I can't do it again," he told the sleeping man. "I won't." The breath hitched in his throat, as he continued searching the man until it was clear that whatever he was looking for wasn't there.

Ianto took one look at the man on the bed, and turned to leave.

* * *

_He's here. I can sense his presence, near me. Touching me. He has no right._

_And he's speaking. He has no right to be sad. Not after what he did._

_My anger, my need to understand, propels me through the darkness, the cold. The light blinds me, but I open my eyes anyway. Because how could he have done that?_

_I look around, and the movement makes him turn his head. When he catches sight of me, he looks terrified. And guilty as hell._

"You… how could you..." James Jarrett hissed angrily, and Ianto span around and stared, until the figure collapsed again.

When Jack came back to find him, Ianto was sitting huddled by the wall, his expression emotionless. Jack frowned. "Ianto?"

Ianto looked up, surprised. "Sorry. Seeing him again…"

"I understand," Jack said. "He woke?"

"He spoke," Ianto confirmed. "He said…" he hesitated. "Nothing that I could meake out, though. Just nonsense." ..._You... _"I don't think he recognised me." ..._How could you..._

Jack smiled down at Ianto and leaned down to kiss him on the forehead. "Come on," he murmured.

Ianto nodded. He didn't turn to look back at the man.


	4. Chapter 4

**So... chapter four :) Thank you for the alerts etc, but please do review too, if you can? xx**

Jack had rang ahead, when Ianto was out of ear-shot, and told the team to "play nice, he's a bit shaken." So when the two walked into the room, even Owen refrained from asking too many questions.

"So, Ianto, is he... okay?"

"Yeah," Ianto nodded, "he woke up."

Owen smiled. "Well, take it from me, that's good news, yeah?" Ianto looked at him expressionlessly and said "I think I'll go down to the Archives, if that's okay."

"You want some company down there?" Tosh asked.

"No! No, thanks, I'll be… I'll be fine." Ianto dismissed her, before leaving. The room was silent; everyone was looking down at the floor, not wanting to catch anyone's eyes.

Owen spoke first. "Shit," he remarked offhandedly, "what happened there, Jack?"

"I left the room, he was… well, as you'd expect, when I came back, he said James had woken up and he was like that…" Jack said quietly.

Owen frowned. "I know that, well, we know he was killed and stuff, and that it was when Ianto was there. But does anyone else get the impression that he's not telling us…"

"The truth?" Jack interrupted.

Gwen shook her head. "He's just really cut up at seeing him again, imagine if someone you'd loved just turned up again-"

"Whoah, hold on," Jack stopped her. "Nobody said anything about them being lovers!"

"Yeah, so they were just friends?" Gwen asked sarcastically.

"Yeah, otherwise Ianto would have told us-" Jack said hotly, "and he didn't!"

"Guys," Tosh said "Ianto just left the building."

They all span round to face her. "What?" Jack asked, "I thought he went down to the Archive?"

"He… sort of… slipped out of the back way." Tosh murmured, sounding worried.

"We have a back way?" Owen asked. "Seriously?"

"Shit," Jack swore. "Follow him."

"Already on it," Tosh replied, her fingers whizzing over the keyboard as she relayed instructions to the computer.

A grainy CCTV image came up and the room fell silent as they all watched Ianto on the screen, as he drove to-

"That's where we found him, yeah?" Owen asked.

"Yeah."

Ianto on the screen searched frantically, obviously looking for something. There wasn't a bush he didn't look under or area of ground he didn't scrutinise. Eventually, when it was obvious that whatever it was wasn't there, he collapsed to the ground as if he hadn't noticed the snow.

Even without Tosh zooming the image in, it was clear that Ianto was crying.

"Tosh," Jack said slowly. "Check the CCTV of the hospital."

* * *

"_Hello, my names Ianto Jones." He smiled at me, just as new, just as scary as everyone in this massive place and I smiled back, weakly._

"_Hey," I said, pathetically. "Um…"_

"_You're new here, right?" he said. "Let me show you around?"_

_I agreed happily, glad to see someone- especially someone that good looking- was going to help me._

_I realise, now, that that was… stupid._

* * *

"He's looking for something," Jack said. "That much is obvious." They'd just seen the hospital footage, seen Ianto search the man's body, seen the man wake up.

"But what?" Owen asked. "If this is going to endanger us- if it's another Lisa-"

A look from Jack cut him off.

"Tosh…" Jack said, slowly. "See if you can find any CCTV, anything, from when he died."

It didn't take Tosh long to find some images of James Jarrett lying on the street, torn open. Gwen, who'd seen much worse, reeled back with a look of disgust on her face. The next image Tosh clicked on, however, showed Ianto leaning over the body, tears easily distinguishable on his face.

"He looks so young," Jack murmured.

"They guy- James- he looks the same," Owen said. "Surely that means that-" he stopped abruptly at the look on Tosh's face. "Oh…"

"What's that?" Jack asked, peering over Owen to see the screen more clearly. Ianto was looking at a man- or woman- behind him, a mysterious figure in the shadows, positioned just so they couldn't see its face.

Ianto was shown clearly handing something to the figure, obviously that he'd taken out of the dead mans pockets.

"Zoom up."

The item was something obviously not human, although clearly Jack had no idea what it was.

"What is it?" he asked.

"I don't know," Owen said sarcastically. "How would I?"

"Well then- find out." Jack said angrily. Owen looked at him, about to retort, when he noticed that the anger wasn't directed at him, for once.

It was directed at Ianto.

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	5. Chapter 5

**I've got exams. Which is why this is short, late and conversation, mainly. And also why there might not be updates for two weeks or so. They're not even important exams... but, bloody revision D: So reviews would make my day ;D xx**

"Can I talk to him yet?" Jack asked, impatiently. Owen looked up at him, frowning.

"Jack…"

"Is that," Jack asked, sarcastically. "_Allowed_? Or are you going to _go against my orders_ and stop me from talking to Ianto?"

Owen winced. "Go easy on him," he asked, reluctantly, standing aside to let Jack speak to Ianto.

Charging impatiently down to the medical room, Jack glared at Ianto, who was lying there weakly. "Oh-" he shouted up to Owen, no longer caring if Ianto heard him or not, "find out what that thing was."

Ianto lifted his pale face up to meet Jack's, cringing slightly at the anger in his eyes, but meeting his gaze squarely.

"Why the anger, Jack?"

"You lied to us. About James Jarrett, I don't care what fucking state you're in because you had to cry in the snow, you LIED to us. I want to know why."

Ianto looked away. "I told you everything you need to know."

"What did he have? That he's lost?"

"Just a… a thing. An alien thing. I was looking for it because… he's got to go back with it, he… y'know, rules of time and stuff."

Jack paused, considering. "Nah, I don't buy it."

Ianto turned away. "Then what else am I meant to do?" he asked, quietly.

"How about telling us the truth?"

"That's the truth. Am I meant to tell you everything about James? That's all in the past, Jack, which is where he belongs, only he needs that thing to go back with. Otherwise he can't go back."

"You want to find it."

"Yes," Ianto said, sounding relieved, probably that Jack had finally got his point.

"And keep it."

"What?"

"Because…" Jack said slowly, "if he can't go back… he can't die…"

Ianto avoided his gaze. "I know he has to go back." He insisted, sounding uncertain. "If I can just find the thing…"

"How did he get it, in the first place?"

"He worked at Torchwood," Ianto replied, sounding bored.

"Torchwood One. He was junior staff, I'm not an idiot. How did he get it?"

Ianto looked down. "I'm tired now."

Jack sneered at him, angry, frustrated. "Well, you can stay down here and rest then, can't you."

He strode off, leaving Ianto with a sinking feeling of threat and the last question hanging in the air.

_How did he get it? I gave it to him._

_My fault. It's all my fault._


	6. Chapter 6

**Exams over and only one week left of school, so have another chapter :) Sorry for the long update time.**

**Only 6 days, 5 hours and 36 minutes until the new series of Doctor Who...**

"_There's been another murder," Phil said. Ianto started. Murders? He hadn't heard anything about murders on the news, and something in Phil's voice, tired and worn out, interested him._

"_Same again?"_

"_Torchwood staff and carrying alien technology. The autopsy suggests the blow was laser powered- no visible signs, no blood, but not a natural death."_

"_Just like the others," the woman said, sounding concerned. Ianto didn't recognise the voice, but she sounded as if she knew what she was doing, and was used to being in charge. "Who was it?"_

"_Jack Miller."_

_The woman let out a sound of recognition. "Ah… Jack. A pity. He was a hard worker."_

"_I think… it might be time for us to put the plan into action…"_

"_Who do you propose?"_

"_A young researcher called James Jarrett." Phil said. Ianto ran the name through his head. He vaguely recognised it… he thought he knew the man. What did Phil and this lady want with him?_

"_And who else?"_

_There was a pause as Phil considered. "Myself… and…"_

"_Ianto," the lady popped her head out of the door, as Ianto quickly tried to immerse himself in his work again, "Come in here, would you?"_

_Nervously, Ianto walked into Phil's office and smiled at his friend. Phil gave a half hearted smile back, looking troubled._

"_Ianto, this is Yvonne Hartman," he said, introducing the woman. Ianto frowned as he recognised the name as his boss- the head of Torchwood London._

"_Ianto, pleased to meet you," she said, smiling broadly. "You are well?"_

"_Uh, great. Thanks," he said, awkwardly. She smiled at him, and then turned back to Phil._

"_I'll leave this to you two then," she said, lightly. "I very much expect this to work, Phil." Smiling at them, she walked out of the door, where a man seemed to appear out of nowhere to accompany her. Security._

_Ianto glanced at Phil, hoping for an explanation. "What do we have to do?"_

"_There have been five murders," Phil said. "Torchwood staff… all carrying certain pieces of alien technology… we suspect extra terrestrial involvement." A hologram, showing the murdered men and the alien tech, flashed up, and Ianto studied it carefully as he listened._

* * *

Owen kept looking at Ianto as he checked him over carefully.

"What?" Ianto snapped, finally. Owen winced.

"Look, mate… about this James guy," he said, seemingly reaching a decision at last. "I mean… what's the deal with him?"

"That's my private life," Ianto retorted. "My past."

"And it affects us!" Owen exclaimed. "You can't keep everything separate! We all learnt that long ago! You can't distance Torchwood from your life, because it is your life." There was a pause.

"Is he dangerous?"

"No!" Ianto exclaimed. "He is- was- innocent. He was a victim."

"He has to go back."

"I know." Ianto looked away. "With the artefact."

Owen frowned. "I've tried to find that," he said, "but you're the only one who can work those bloody archives. Why didn't you tell us about it?"

Ianto shrugged. "It doesn't matter. It only matters that… that he goes back with it. Otherwise he can't go back." _And he won't die._

"So it's not dangerous?"

"Not to us," Ianto shrugged again. _It's his death. It's going to kill him and it's all my fault._

"An alien killed him, Ianto." Owen said softly. "An alien's already killed him. All you can do is make sure that that happens."

Jack's accusations echoed through Ianto's head. What if he did find the artefact? Could he give it back to James, and send him off to his death?

"What was he to you?" Owen asked.

"At first… he was…"

* * *

"_Ianto, we get close to James. Both of us. Become his friend, fuck him if you want, I don't bloody know, but get him to trust you. You're lower down than me, he's more likely to trust you- that's why Yvonne wants you to do it._

_Then… we give him this. As a present, whatever. It's a harmless alien device, but we think it's the sort of thing this alien killer might want. It sends out a faint pulse."_

"_The alien finds him." Ianto realised._

"_And we find the alien."_

_Ianto nodded, a sick feeling in his stomach. Such a simple plan, and yet…_

"_Ianto." Phil looked up, smiled. "Try not to get too attached, will you?"_

* * *

"We had to work together, at first. Then he became a friend. Then a… lover. Then he died." Ianto looked down. "It was the worst day of my life," _and it was all my fault._ "Now, he's here. And he knows what's going to happen, Owen. And he knows why." _And he blames me. Quite rightly._

"Did you love him?"

Ianto ignored the question. "I need to phone my friend."

"Sure," Owen said, deciding not to push him any further. As he walked out he could hear Ianto dialling.

"Phil," Ianto said. "Have you got it?"

"Sorry?" a Scottish voice replied. "I don't know any Phil. This is a lawyer's office; can I help you?"

"Tell Phil," Ianto said, frustrated, "that Ianto called. He can't bloody hide forever; he's too important for that. I need to speak to him. Tell him… tell him that James knows."

There was a pause, then Phil spoke. "Ianto, I won't give it back." He said, calmly. "I won't kill him again."

Jack's warnings about the rules of time floated out of Ianto's head. "Me neither," he replied. "Can you come down and see me, or is Torchwood Two just too time consuming?"

"I can come. I want to see him."

"Where's the artefact?"

"Hidden. They can't send him back without it, can they?"

"No, I don't think so."

"I can't do it again."

"Neither can I. I've never forgotten, not for one second." Ianto admitted. "I don't care. I'll help you, Phil. We'll keep him here. We won't make that mistake again. We won't kill him."

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	7. Chapter 7

**Didn't you just LOVE Doctor Who xD This chapter went kinda morbid :/ Oh well. Thank you for the reviews and alerts- and just for reading :D Makes my day.**

"Come on Karen- we're going to be late," the mother said, panic evident in her voice. "The plane leaves in ten minutes, we need to go, come on-"

"I DON'T WANT TO GO!" the girl screamed.

"But Daddy's bought you the tickets, you're going to see Daddy, come on- Charlie, Charlie, stay here-"

Ianto smiled sadly as he watched the struggling mother, checking his watch. The plane was due in about ten minutes, and he had been wandering around here for a good half an hour already. Bored- what was there to see apart from planes, after all- he was reduced to watching people. The people he risked his life for on a day to day basis.

Suddenly, someone screamed. Identifying the direction it came from, Ianto got up and started to run towards the noise, automatically patting his pockets to find his gun. It only took him a moment to realise that everyone was running away from something- and that he was running towards it.

"Typical," he muttered. As he raced round a corner and his eyes took in the large creature that was there, he dialled Jack.

"Airport. Now."

"Are you alright? What's happening? Why were you at the airport?"

"Just get here!"

Ianto cut off the rest of Jack's questions, and turned to face the alien. It looked like a weevil- except at least twice as big, as far as he could tell, and with much more intelligence. It was eating- oh, god, it had killed someone- and hadn't seemed to notice Ianto yet.

Glancing slightly to his side, Ianto saw a fire extinguisher. As he reached towards it, his gun slipped- clunk! - out of his sweaty hands, and he froze.

The creature turned its evil head and hissed. Ianto grappled with the extinguisher, desperate to get a weapon, but he couldn't pull it off the wall, in his panic.

A piercing scream came from behind the two of them, and as the alien leapt towards the sound Ianto hit it, knocking it unconscious.

The little girl he'd seen earlier- Karen- was standing there, blood oozing from a deep cut down her face. The alien had obviously had a chance to get to her before Ianto had stopped it.

"Are you alright?" Ianto asked, gently. There was no reply. He frowned, stepping closer. "What's your name, sweetheart?"

As the mother ran round the corner, frantically, the little girl fell to the floor. Ianto knew, quite sickly, that she was dead.

If he'd reacted sooner- got the extinguisher off the wall sooner-

His fault.

How many more?

There were so many they'd saved-

And so many they hadn't.

Phil's plane would be coming in now, Ianto realised. As he watched, numbly, the mother cradling her daughter- as he saw Tosh and Owen running towards them, and Jack dealing with the authorities, he knew he'd made up his mind. Got rid of any doubts that were left- because he had the chance to save someone's life.

And wasn't that their job?

* * *

"_Hi," Ianto said, smiling at the man._

"_Hi."_

"_I'm Ianto. Ianto Jones."_

"_James Jarrett."_

"_I know." Ianto paused. "Well, that makes me sound somewhat stalkerish, doesn't it?"_

"_Only slightly." James replied, straight faced. Ianto smiled, and recalled Phil's orders._

"_Fancy a drink?" he offered, and as James' eyes widened he added hastily, "I mean, just as… friend's, y'know. It's nice to have someone you can talk to, in this job, 'cause all your old friends, they just… they can't understand, can't possibly know what it's like… but I do."_

_James looked up at him, sincerely. "Yeah. That'd be nice."_

_Ianto grinned at him, and motioned towards the door, triumphant. That was easy. 'He's got to die,' he reminded himself. 'Don't get too close'._

_Even so, as they walked out, he couldn't help noticing how nice the other man's eyes were._"Sorry we took so long," Tosh said, slightly apologetically. "Ianto…"

* * *

Jack cut in, harshly. "It's clear that you're too emotionally involved with this case," he said. "I don't want you to be involved. You shouldn't have been in the first place- but we didn't know.

"Your secrets have a habit of doing that, Ianto. But it doesn't make any difference. We'll find the artefact- send him home. We can't do anything else. It's got to happen, Ianto. You know that."

Ianto looked down, not saying anything. "It's already happened, Ianto. We can't mess with time," Tosh said, softly. "But you don't need to be involved." _But I am involved. I killed him once, already._

"There's so much death, Tosh," Ianto murmured. "The girl today- Karen- if I had been quicker…"

"But if you'd been slower, Ianto, so many more would have died."

Ianto looked down. _That's not the point. _"It's never about how many we save. It's about how many we lose."

"He needs to die, Ianto, or who knows what will happen?"

"Terrible things," Jack cut in. "When you mess with time… terrible things."

Ianto looked down. "He's just one man," he said, and realised that he was begging.

It didn't matter, anyway. Without the artefact none of this would happen.

And Phil had the artefact-

"Phil!" with a cry, Ianto stood up. "I'm meeting him- off his plane- that's why I was here- see you back at the Hub."

Tosh watched him run off through the crowds, and turned to Jack.

"You don't think he's telling the truth, do you?"

"I think there's something he's not telling us." Jack agreed. "I thought he could trust us."

"When he talks about James… he almost sounds… guilty."

"Survivors guilt." Jack shrugged. "If he _loved_ this James, which seems likely." He sounded bitter. Tosh glanced up at him.

"Are you alright?"

"He still wants to save everyone," Jack said viciously. "He wants to save James Jarrett, and he's bloody going to try, I just know it! No matter what the _consequences _are!" he was sneering, and Tosh was shocked to realise that he was close to shouting. "Sometimes," he finished, "there are casualties. Victims. Sometimes people die- and you can't save them! Sometimes it's your fault!"

Tosh understood. Jack had watched so many people's deaths-

"Have you never-" she began.

"If they have to die," Jack answered, coldly. "Then I can't stop them dying. If I have to kill them, sacrifice them for everyone else, then I will.

"He's already dead, Tosh. Yet Ianto Jones wants to play the hero. He wants to risk the world, just to save an ex-lover who died. And what's his reason, for it? Oh, I bet I can tell you- love! Guilt, maybe- caused by love.

"This is what_ love_ does to you. It threatens you. It threatens us all- because if James Jarrett doesn't go back…" Jack shrugged, helpless, and walked off. Tosh stood there; unaware of a tear dripping down her face, and watched the girl's mother weeping over the daughter that had died so others could live.

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	8. Chapter 8

**Chapter 8 :D Finally an update :L Please review (:**

Ianto glanced over the crowds uncertainly as he searched for Phil's face. The head of Torchwood Two might not have had much to do with them recently, but Ianto was sure he'd recognise him.

"What's all the fuss?" a voice came from behind Ianto. He whirled around, not waiting to waste time on greetings.

"There was an incident," Ianto said shortly.

"Ah," Phil nodded. "Any fatalities?"

"One. A young girl." _Her name was Karen, and her brother was Charlie. She was going to visit her Daddy, but she didn't want to go…_

"Only one? It could have been worse, Ianto, a lot worse." Phil grinned. "I mean, this _is _Torchwood. That's practically a good day's work."

Ianto whirled around to stare him in the eye. "It's not a good day. When people die, it's never a good day. Our job's to save them, Phil!" He trailed off. "I can't let him die." _Too many die._

"I have it with me, in case you were wondering." Phil said, abruptly.

Ianto gaped at him. "No. You shouldn't have- it's safer the farther away it is from him."

"Yeah, well, I have. Why am I here, Ianto?"

Ianto glanced at him, irked. "We need to work this out. You want to see," he paused, "him."

Phil smiled, amused. "Why don't you say his name?"

* * *

"_James!" Ianto shouted, running across the street. His friend stopped and waited for him, noting with amusement that he was holding a plastic bag._

"_Bit downmarket for you, isn't it?" he asked idly, waiting for the other man to get his breath back so that they could resume walking together._

"_It's," Ianto gasped for breath, "for work."_

_James looked at him, disappointed. "You're going to work now? I just got off. I thought you were coming round for pizza. We were gonna get a film too?"_

_Ianto shrugged. "Yeah, mate, I know," he said, gauging the disappointment in the other man's eyes. That was a good sign, surely? He was beginning to care. Ianto swallowed, forcing himself to remember that it was all a job. James had to die, to save others._

_One death, or many? When you put it like that, it didn't seem as if they was any other option. James had to die._

_He recalled Phil's instructions. Certainly, he was closer to James than his boss was; he's succeeded. They were good friends now and James was grateful because friends outside Torchwood ceased to exist. Friends who didn't understand were no use as friends._

_Ianto understood._

'_Fuck him if you want', Phil had said._

_Ianto looked at James. "D'you trust me?" he asked. James cocked his head to one side as he returned the stare._

"_Yeah," he answered eventually. Ianto felt sick, with the knowledge that he had the other man in his grasp now. They could give James the object…_

'_Get him to trust you'. Well, he'd done that. It was almost over._

_It's all for work, Ianto reminded himself._

"_I'll come back to yours," he smiled. "Phil can wait, James." He stressed the last word, knowing that as soon as his boss' name had been mentioned, Phil would have been listening in to find out why._

_Sure enough a voice came through on his earpiece, speaking very softly so that only Ianto could hear. "Good job, Ianto. We're almost there. This'll earn you a promotion for sure."_

_Ianto grinned weakly. It was all for the best._

"_C'mon," James said, and Ianto smiled properly at him._

* * *

"Does he hate you?" Phil continued the conversation, ignoring the fact that Ianto was looking away from him.

"…_You…"_

Ianto shuddered. "He has every reason to. He knows exactly what we did. What happened- happens- to him."

For the first time, Phil seemed subdued. "We need to tell him…"

"Tell him what, exactly?" Ianto shouted, tired of holding back his anger. "We killed him! We knew what would happen, so we put aside our feelings until he trusted me, and then we gave him that bloody thing and oh, it all went to plan. We caught the alien, well done us! And there was no other option, was there? So we moved on, and pretended we didn't feel guilty. I pretended I hadn't cared, because hey, it was for the best! Someone had to die!" Age old indignation and hurt filled his voice. "There's always another option, Phil.

And you ordered me to do it. I… this was a mistake. You should go back to Torchwood Two. Tell yourself that if only one dies, it's a _good day_."

"Ianto…" Phil protested. "I wasn't… I didn't mean… sometimes someone has to die. There has to be a sacrifice. It hurts, Ianto, of course it hurts, but..."

"No!" Ianto said sharply. "There doesn't! We save people, Phil, we don't sacrifice them. James was a sacrifice, was he? So why do you want to save him? Don't you know what might happen?"

"Why are you saving him?" Phil countered.

"I loved him." Ianto whispered. "But it was a job. You told me not to get too close. So I told myself I hadn't."

Phil looked at him, silently. "It would have been fine if we hadn't cared," he said eventually. "I knew James. I liked him. If it had been someone else… I wouldn't have spent all these years feeling this guilt."

Ianto stared at him. "Sometimes…" he began. Then he appeared to reconsider, shaking his head. "This was a mistake," he repeated. "I can do this myself, Phil. Just take the artefact, and go. Get rid of it, then he can't go back."

* * *

_Ianto woke up next to James. Oh. He was, uh, in a state of undress. That was putting it mildly. He was stark naked, with only a crumpled blanket covering his decency. Pausing to gather up his courage, he glanced at James._

_Oh. He was naked, too._

"_Right…" Ianto screwed up his face in thought. He'd either lost James' trust completely- oh god, Phil would kill him- or this could work. Extend the bond. Make James trust him even more._

_For the sake of the job- and, he allowed himself for his own sake- he hoped James took the latter path._

"_Hey…" he roused the sleeping man._

"_Oh."_

"_Uh… we have work." Ianto muttered. James looked at him, wide eyed. He looked scared._

"_Ah…"_

"_Yeah?"_

"_Are you… alright?"_

"_With what?" Ianto pretended he didn't know what the other man was talking about._

"_Uh… we…"_

"_I'm fine with it," Ianto said, studying James carefully. The other man relaxed, so Ianto smiled and leant in, and kissed James._

_As the kiss deepened, Ianto told himself that the exhilarated feeling he had was because the job was going well._

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